Consumer Rights: Private Parking Charges Explained

The Protection of Freedoms Act 2012 (Schedule 4) introduced the mechanism by which private parking operators can pursue the registered keeper of a vehicle for an unpaid parking charge, without having to prove who was driving at the time. This is the legal basis on which companies like Euro Car Parks send charge notices to keepers through the DVLA. However, the statute also imposes requirements on the operator: the charge must be properly formatted, the signage must be clear, and the keeper must be given the opportunity to identify the driver or pay within the statutory period.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 requires that terms and conditions in consumer contracts be fair, transparent, and prominent. A parking charge hidden in small print or buried in unclear signage may not be enforceable. The Act also addresses unfair commercial practices: if a consumer is misled about the basis of a charge, the charge may be challenged on consumer-protection grounds. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has powers under this Act to investigate companies it believes are breaching consumer-protection law, which is the basis for the ongoing 2026 CMA consumer-protection investigation into private parking operators including Euro Car Parks.

The British Parking Association (BPA) Code of Practice and the International Parking Community (IPC) Code of Practice set the industry standards that accredited operators must follow. These codes cover signage clarity, grace periods, ticket wording, appeals processes, and the maximum charge that can be issued. If an operator fails to follow its own code, that failure can be raised in an appeal to the independent appeals service (POPLA for BPA members, the IPC Appeals Service for IPC members).

The appeals process has two stages. First, you appeal directly to the parking operator within the period stated on the charge notice (usually 14 or 28 days). The operator must respond within a set timeframe. If the operator rejects your appeal, you have the right to escalate to the independent appeals service — POPLA (Parking on Private Land Appeals) if the operator is a BPA member, or the IPC Appeals Service if the operator is an IPC member. The independent service's decision is binding on the operator, though not always binding on the motorist.

Common grounds for appeal include unclear or missing signage, a charge that is disproportionate to the loss suffered, failure by the operator to follow its own code of practice, incorrect vehicle details, and situations where the driver had a valid ticket or permit. Grace periods of at least 10 minutes are required by both industry codes, and charges for overstaying a free parking period must reflect the actual loss, not serve as a penalty.

The Competition and Markets Authority is the UK's principal consumer-protection and competition regulator. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the Enterprise Act 2002, the CMA can investigate unfair commercial practices, issue enforcement notices, and impose financial penalties on companies that breach consumer-protection law. In 2025, the CMA used new powers under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 to impose a £473,000 fixed penalty on Euro Car Parks for non-compliance with a statutory information notice — the first use of these new powers against a private parking operator. Euro Car Parks has appealed this penalty.

Separately, in July 2026 the CMA opened a consumer-protection investigation into private parking charges, focusing on practices at petrol-station forecourts and the appeals processes of private parking operators. Euro Car Parks is one of the companies under investigation. No infringement has been found in that investigation, which is ongoing.